UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

CHAPTER 1

THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES

- This chapter deals with the fundamental concepts, theories,
and principles relative to the self and identity.

PHILOSOPHERS

1. SOCRATES
 The wisest among the philosophers
 To know thyself is first an imperative and then a
requirement.
 Quoted the “I know that I do not know”.

IMPERATIVE - REQUIREMENT

LIMITATIONS SELF-CONTROL

2. PLATO
 For Plato, Psyche is composed of 3 Elements:
Appetitive Element, Spirited Element, & Mind Element
 Appetitive Element – one’s desires, pleasures, physical
satisfaction, comforts, etc.
 Spirited Element – excited when given challenges, or
fights back when agitated, or fights for justice when
unjust practices are evident; motivator.
 Mind Element – most superior of all the elements; the
superpower that controls the affairs of the self;
decision maker.

3. RENE DESCARTES
 Father of Modern Philosophy
 Believed in Human Rationality; that everything has a
reason
 Our senses can deceived us

4. JOHN LOCKE
 Self is comparable to an empty space
 We can understand or know ourselves through experience

5. DAVID HUME
 All ideas are derived from impressions
 Impressions are subjective or temporary; cannot be
persistent.
 Claimed that there is no self
 All we know about ourselves are just bundles of
impressions
6. SIGMUND FREUD
 Father of Psychoanalysis
 According to him, there are two basic drives: Sex &
Aggression
 Sex means procreation; assuring the continuation of our
bloodline
 Aggression is our way to protect ourselves from harm; our
death instinct
 These two drives (Sex & Aggression) are not merely sexual
activity & aggressive acts, these are the drives to stay
alive, procreate & prevent others from stopping or
reducing these needs
 There are two complexes, Oedipus Complex that is only
applied on men who are overly protective to their mother;
and Electra Complex that is only applied on women who are
overly protective to their father; these could be
misinterpretations of their own feelings towards to their
parents
 He felt too much jealousy towards to his brother:

Jealousy Guilty Anxiety Denial

Defense Mechanism Repression

 Please be reminded that Denial &

Repression are part of Freud’s Defense
Mechanism; also please be reminded to
recall Freud’s brief background story to
know or to understand more about his
theory.

 Structural Model: Id, Ego, Super-ego

Id – wants whatever feels good at the time with
no consideration for the reality of the
situation; our desires or pleasures; the other
term of Id is Devil
Ego – based on reality & principles; understands
that other have people needs & desires; Ego’s
job is to meet Id’s need while taking
consideration the reality of the situation
Super-ego – this is our conscience as it
dictates our belief of what right & wrong; the
moral part of us develops due the moral &
ethical restraints placed on us by our
caregivers
 The different kinds of Freud’s Defense Mechanism are
listed below:

1. Denial – is the refusal to accept reality or fact,

acting as if a painful event, thought or
feeling did not exist.

2. Regression – is the reversion to an earlier stage of

development in the face of unacceptable
thoughts or impulses.

3. Acting Out – performing an extreme behavior in order

to express thoughts or feelings the person
feels incapable of otherwise expressing;
expressing in physical pain what one
cannot stand to feel emotionally; self-harm
4. Dissociation – is when a person loses track of time
and/or person, and instead finds another
representation of their self in
order to continue in the moment.

5. Compartmentalization – is a lesser form of

dissociation, wherein parts of oneself are
separated from awareness of other parts
and behaving as if one had separate sets
of values; isolation.
 6. Projection – is when you put your feelings or
thoughts onto another person, as though
they were that person’s feelings and
thoughts.

7. Reaction Formation – is the converting of unwanted or

dangerous thoughts, feelings or impulses into
their opposites.

8. Repression – is the unconscious blocking of

unacceptable thoughts, feelings and
impulses.

9. Displacement – is the redirecting of thoughts,

feeling and impulses directed at one
person or object, but taken out upon
another person or object.

10. Intellectualization – is the overemphasis on

thinking when confronted with an
unacceptable impulse, situation, or
behavior without employing and
emotions whatsoever to help mediate and
place the thoughts into an
emotional human context.

11. Rationalization – is putting something into a

different light or offering a different
explanation for one’s perceptions or
behaviors in the face of changing reality.

12. Undoing (Undo) – is the attempt to take back an

unconscious behavior or thought that is
unacceptable or hurtful.

13. Sublimation – is simply the channeling of

unacceptable impulses, thoughts and
emotions into more acceptable ones.

14. Compensation – is a process of psychologically

counterbalancing perceived weaknesses by
emphasizing strength in other
arenas.

15. Assertiveness – is the emphasis of a person’s needs

or thoughts in a manner that is
respectful, direct and firm.
FURTHER EXPLANATIONS OF DEFENSE MECHANISM: